You should also really join this group.
Liver_Shunt_And_MVD_Support : Liver Shunt & MVD/HMD Support
They are a wonderful group with lots and lots of answers. My Teddi had a liver shunt and someone on here told me to go there and they helped me A LOT. I thought I was going to have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars too but ended up going to University of Tennessee and it cost only $1,200 for her surgery. The vet here in California told me it was going to cost between $4,500 and $6,500. You can go here to read about my Teddi's story.
Liver Shunt Stories